Adam Schefter Explains why Raiders are getting “Best of All Worlds” Through First 2 Weeks

The Raiders have opened the season with a 2-0 record for the first time since 2021, and the future in Las Vegas (the Raiders have only been there six years) has never looked brighter.

Not since the Derek Carr era have the Raiders enjoyed the national spotlight like they are right now, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter talked this week about how the perfect situation seems to be falling into place for the Raiders.

These were Schefter’s comments on The Adam Schefter Podcast on Tuesday…

“They are the inverse of the Chargers. This is where we thought the Chargers would be, opening up against the Cardinals and the Raiders, we thought they’d be 2-0. But instead, lo and behold, here are the Las Vegas Raiders and there are a couple of things to take away from this. No. 1, it shows you the value of good coaching. Klint Kubiak has come in there. They look like a different offense. They look like a different organization. They look totally different every which away.

The other thing is you see the value of a veteran quarterback who is a steady presence. Kirk Cousins wasn’t good enough in Atlanta but is more than adequate enough in Las Vegas. Not only is he playing well, but every time he wins, he buys himself more time out there. Every time he wins, he buys their no. 1 overall pick, Fernando Mendoza, more time on the bench, which is a good thing in the long run.

They are winning on an off the field because now they’re not going to hear the calls for Mendoza, they don’t have to rush [Mendoza] along. They don’t have to subject [Mendoza] to NFL defenses before they feel like they’ve prepped him the way they want. They’re not at risk of ruining him early the way other quarterbacks have been ruined by entering the game and the league before they were ready to do so.

This is the best of all worlds for the Silver & Black. They are winning. They are relevant. They are competitive and look competent for the first time in a while. They are allowing their no.1 overall pick to take the time he needs on the bench to turn into the type of quarterback that they want him to be. Wins across the board in Vegas.”

Proving the doubters wrong…

After week 1, Raider Nation Radio host Q Myers talked about Cousins’ limitations, and Myers said at the time he didn’t believe Cousins had the arm strength to push the ball downfield.

“The one thing I learned that was very obvious to me in that game on Sunday [is] that Kurt Cousins is not going to be stretching the field,” Myers said on the Locked on Raiders podcast after the Raiders’ week one win.

“Whenever he really tried to push the ball down the field, that’s when he got in trouble. That’s when he made his two mistakes, when he threw two interceptions, and they were just bad, bad throws. They were just poorly thrown. He just doesn’t have that fastball anymore… Now, short, intermediate, fine, right? He’s really good at that, very accurate.”

Myers wasn’t alone in his evaluation of Cousins, but against the Chargers, Cousins showed he can still put pressure on opposing defenses with throws downfield.

For their part, the Chargers looked as surprised as anyone by Cousins’ arm strength on Sunday.

What’s next for the Raiders and their QBs?

We’re only two weeks into the season, but if the Raiders keep winning, could there be a scenario where Mendoza doesn’t get on the field in his first season?

Cousins is all but guaranteed to not be on the roster next year, so it’s hard to imagine the Raiders would be willing to keep Mendoza on the sideline for a full year.

But if the Raiders are in the playoff hunt in December, would Kubiak and company have the nerve to put a rookie quarterback in the lineup if Cousins is playing like he is right now?

x: @raidersbeat